REPORT: Star Wars: First Assault Is Predecessor to Battlefront III

The studious Star Wars fans amongst you likely remember hearing about Star Wars: First Assault late last year. The game was listed as a downloadable title by LucasArts , but nothing major beyond that was revealed. Well, today Kotaku is citing "a person familiar with the project" in letting the world know that First Assault is indeed a downloadable multiplayer shooter that was not only intended to release this spring, but was meant to serve as a predecessor to the highly-anticipated Star Wars: Battlefront III.

According to Kotaku's source, First Assault supports up to 16 players squaring off in teams of eight as either rebels or Stormtroppers as they battle it out across familiar Star Wars locations such as Tatooine and Bespin. The game doesn't feature any vehicles and there are no Jedi to be found either, but Kotaku's source says it was intended to serve as "step zero" to Battlefront III, with its popularity and success serving as a determining factor that could influence the eventual release of the long-awaited game.

Of course, First Assault's main issue is that it may never see the light of day. Kotaku's source stated that LucasFilm froze all hiring and new game announcements last September when the company was acquired by Disney – shelving potential projects like First Assault and eventually putting other prominent games like Star Wars 1313 in jeopardy due to "unrest and uncertainty" at LucasArts. As a result, we may never get the chance to see either of these potential-packed projects.

Well, what are your hopes for both Star Wars: First Assault and Star Wars: Battlefront III? Do you think these games deserve to be released or would you like the attention to be focused on other projects set within the Star Wars universe? Force your way into the comments to share your opinion. Of course, we'll keep you posted if/when any additional information on these titles is revealed.